Education

GES clarifies 2025/2026 academic calendar amid media reports

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has dismissed reports suggesting that the 2025/2026 academic calendar has fully reverted to the single-track system.

In a statement signed by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Daniel Fenyi, GES stressed that the newly released calendar makes provision for both single-track and double-track schools.

“In the spirit of transparent and honest communication, GES wishes to clarify that the 2025/2026 academic calendar has not fully reverted to the single-track system, as reported in some sections of the media,” the statement read.

The Service explained that the new academic year officially begins on Saturday, October 18, 2025, when all first-year students are expected to report. The year is scheduled to end on August 21, 2026, for single-track schools, and September 4, 2026, for double-track schools.

GES urged parents, students, and the general public to rely only on official communications from the Service to avoid misinformation, adding that the academic timetable has been carefully designed to ensure smooth teaching and learning nationwide.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) had earlier officially released the full academic calendar for all second-cycle institutions for the 2025/2026 academic year. The circular, dated August 20, 2025, and signed by Prince C. Agyemang-Duah, Director of the Schools and Instructions Division, outlined reporting dates, vacations, and examination schedules for both single-track and transitional schools.

According to the breakdown:

•SHS 1 students will reopen on October 18, 2025, and go on Christmas break from December 20, 2025, to January 31, 2026. Their second term will commence on March 16, 2026.

•SHS 2 students are expected to reopen on October 27, 2025.

•SHS 3 students will also reopen on October 27, 2025, with their first term ending on February 13, 2026.

The calendar also noted that the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) has been scheduled to run from April 20 to June 20, 2026.